


Reconnection

by lena-in-a-red-dress (CSIGurlie07)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode Tag, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23950753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CSIGurlie07/pseuds/lena-in-a-red-dress
Summary: Lena sets out with a singular purpose-- to apologize. (a S4 ficlet)
Relationships: Lena Luthor/James "Jimmy" Olsen
Kudos: 8





	Reconnection

When Lena shows up at James’ door, surprise is the last thing on his mind.

“What’s wrong?” he asks in immediate concern. He opens the door wider, nearly stepping through it to meet her in the hall. Only the wariness in her gaze makes him pause. “Is everything okay?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lena assures him, only to release a huff of air that seems to say “everything is.” “Can we talk?”

When he steps aside, Lena enters the apartment with a stiff reticence he’s never seen on her before. No– he has. Last year, during the time he now knows she’d been helping Sam Arias, and doing her best to keep him at arm’s length. Except this seems… different.

She’s still bristling, but now it seems her needles have turned inwards. As he watches, Lena folds in on herself right there in his foyer, as she waits for him to make the next move.

“Let’s talk.”

They settle on his couch– the same couch they’d once spent so many Saturday nights, curled up in front of a movie, or the news, or with books in their laps. Now, though, Lena plants herself against the opposite arm rest, and James feels the loss of her as a physical ache, hollowing his chest and stomach until the void fills with regret.

He should have fought for her. He should have fought WITH her. He should never have accepted the outcome of that disagreement in the car on Valentine’s Day. He should have listened to his gut when it churned ominously that night, to see Lena so oddly distant. When her words seemed to belong to someone else, even as they fell from her lips.

“I’m sorry, James,” she says. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. I thought I was keeping you safe, but all it did was make you vulnerable. If you had known– if I had told you…”

“I’ve actually been wondering about that,” James says gently. He presses his hands together in front of him, in full view. So she can see he isn’t angry. “If you had told me… what did you think I would say?”

But Lena shakes her head. “I don’t know,” she replies with a helpless shrug. “I just couldn’t bear for you to think less of me.”

“For wanting to save your brother’s life?”

“For wanting to save the man who tortured you.” Lena looks away, her eyes flickering around the room before landing on her lap. “The man who killed dozens, and then added a entire jury box to his tally out of spite.”

James watches her, taking in the way her hands worried each other, and the tears gathering in her eyes.

“I know he didn’t deserve my help. He didn’t deserve a second chance at life. But–”

“I would have been more concerned if you hadn’t.”

Lena freezes. “What?”

“I would have been more concerned if you hadn’t tried to help him,” James repeats.

“But…”

“It doesn’t matter what he deserved, Lena. Your choice to help or not help… that was a reflection of you. You’re someone who helps. It’s one of the things I love about you. And if you hadn’t helped Lex– your own brother– it would have meant he’d taken that part of you away.”

“He shot you,” Lena whispers. She blinks, and the gathered tears spill free. “You almost died, because of me.”

“I’m also alive because of you.”

Her next breath pulls raggedly at her chest. She wipes her eyes, avoiding James’ gaze even as he levers himself over to sit on the cushion between them, closing the distance.

But she doesn’t move away.

“I’ve missed you, Lena,” he confesses.

Lena’s chin wobbles. “I’ve missed you too.” She wipes her eyes again. “There’ve been so many times I wanted to call you–”

She trails off abruptly. The next moment seems to stretch, as James watches her reel her confession back in, as he feels his heart reach out for more.

“I would have answered.”

Lena blinks at him. Surprise colors her gaze, which softens into something else when James reaches out to cover her hands with one of his own.

“I still will.”

“How… how could you forgive me?”

James smiles. “Because I love you, Lena. And because I don’t want to lose you again.”

It’s the easiest moment of honesty James has ever had. 

They have a long and difficult road before them before they get back to where they were, but when Lena’s fingers close around his, James wants nothing more than to try– and keep trying– until they got there.


End file.
